


caught in the act

by lynn_jpg



Series: atla fusion series [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Katara's pretty good at keeping secrets, M/M, Stress Relief, zukka - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:48:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23545663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lynn_jpg/pseuds/lynn_jpg
Summary: fusion is fun; just don't get caught
Relationships: Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: atla fusion series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1694533
Comments: 10
Kudos: 309





	caught in the act

**Author's Note:**

> warning: there's a bit of child abuse at the beginning, but it's not too graphic

Azula's been caught fusing before. 

Ever-obedient Azula who only lived to serve her father's purpose had done the very thing he despised most in the world. It was an accident, of course, as most things are. Still, it was a mistake that would never be repeated on her half. 

They were young - Azula and Zuko, that is - and they knew little about the concept of fusion. It was taboo in the Fire Nation, but that didn't mean few people still didn't practice it. However, for royalty such as the descendants of Fire Lord Azulon himself, it was strictly prohibited. Fusing could result in banishment, or possibly even death. No one dared to test the boundaries, not when such was at stake. 

Zuko had been feeding the turtleducks with his mother when it happened. Back then, Ursa was full of smiles and joy. Back then, Azula hadn't been the manipulative child she'd grown to be. Back then, they were  _ happy _ . 

A lot had changed since then. 

Azula and her newly-aquired friends had been playing some game. The ever-flexible one had been challenging Azula to some degree while the gloomy one had sat in the shade and watched. 

Ursa and Zuko had been laughing at something one of them had said. Crumbs of bread had been scattered in the pond, young turleducks swimming over for a snack. It had been an all around enjoyable activity.

However, the pair's fun was cut short as bright light filled the area. Unfamiliar laughter filled the area, and Ursa and Zuko snapped their necks over at Azula and her friends to see what had happened. 

Zuko had frowned upon seeing a new figure standing in their garden, hand going to clutch his mother's. A feminine, young, and quite cheerful figure had stood in the same area Azula and Ty-Lee had been just moments before. Zuko had scanned the area for the girls but they were no where to be found. He locked eyes with Azula's friend Mai who held a stone-cold expression on her face, save for the curiosity in her dark eyes. 

The figure continued to laugh, dark braided hair bouncing around this way and that. Their arms wrapped around themselves, and they collapsed on the ground in a fit of giggles. 

Looking over at his mother, he saw the woman staring at the figure with an unreadable expression. Suddenly, her features began to morph into anger and fear. Ursa had never been an angry woman, but right here, right now, her eyes shown with a burning fire that even scared Zuko. 

She marched on over to the figure, expression stormy. The figure lifted their head, eyes widening in fear. Suddenly, there was a popping sound and a bright light, and two bodies had reemerged - Azula and her friend. 

Ursa grabbed Azula by the arm, nails digging into skin. Her face held nothing but hatred - something Zuko thought his mother was incapable of. Azula winced, trying to pull her arm away. 

"Mother, stop! You're hurting me!" Azula cried out, tears pricking her eyes. Zuko sat wide-eyed.  _ Azula never cries.  _

Dropping her daughter's arm, Ursa's hands came to hold onto Azula's shoulders instead. "Do you have any idea of what you've just done?" Ursa's voice was low, angry and desperate. "Oh, may Agni have mercy on you.  _ We never fuse _ . Fusing is  _ wrong,  _ Azula. You'll become a traitor to our nation if you keep this up!... Oh, what will your father think about this?!"

Azula stood quietly through the berating, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. She never attempted to fuse after that day. 

Ozai never found out. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


"You're stressed."

"When am I not?" Zuko scoffed, running a hand through his dark hair. It was getting longer now, falling in front of his eyes when let loose. He'd have to trim it eventually. 

Sokka didn't seem amused at the sarcasm, which struck Zuko as a little odd. Sokka was practically the King of Sarcasm. Zuko glanced over at Sokka, who was staring at him with a worried expression. 

With a heavy sigh, Zuko scratched at his neck. "I'm fine, Sokka. Stop worrying."

The Water Tribe boy crossed his arms, seemingly not convinced. "Come on, dude. Aang's acting is more convincing than what you just gave me. Seriously man, what's wrong?"

Zuko huffed, holding his head in his hands. "... What's not wrong is the real question… ugh, there's only so much time to train Aang before we're all heading into battle." He swallowed. "There's just not enough time. We shouldn't have all this downtime, we need to be  _ training- _ "

A hand was placed on his shoulder. "Relax, man," Sokka cut him off, weak smile on his face. "I think you need to de-stress. Get your mind off things, you know?"

The banished prince lifted his head, small smile playing on his lips. "And what do you suggest, O' Wise One?"

Sokka extended a hand to Zuko, raising an eyebrow. Zuko looked at the hand for a second before shaking his head. " _ No. _ "

"Oh, come on, man!" Sokka threw his hands in the air. "It's not a big deal - it'll help you de-stress!"

"Sokka-"

"Please?" Sokka clasped his hands together, practically begging the boy. "Come on, just for a little bit? We can always stop if you don't like it."

"... Fine." Zuko reluctantly grabbed Sokka's hand, but there was no mistaking the small grin upon his lips. "This better be worth it."

Sokka beamed, pressing his forehead against Zuko's. "Oh, it will be."

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Their second time fusing was a lot easier than the first. It felt more fluid in a sense. Their bodies meshed together, connecting like pieces of a puzzle. The familiar warmth of love filled them once again, and upon opening their eyes, they were one. 

A deep exhale passed their lips, and they laid down on the grass, looking up at the cloudy sky. It was nice - being together like this. They didn't have to worry about being lonely because they were both here, together. Two halves of the same whole. 

With a sigh, they closed their eyes, letting the clouds pass by. It was grounding, in a sense, to be fused like this. Albeit, the first time was rather confusing. 

The first time, it had been an immense relief. Warmth had flooded them like a raging fire. All these different emotions came together as one. It was alarming and confusing. 

However, this time, it was a lot more peaceful. They had a sense of who they were. The raging inferno inside could now be identified as love. Their middle find cleared itself out. They were one unit, one machine,  _ one person _ . 

"Sokka? Hey Sokka, where'd you -...  _ Oh. _ "

The fusion opened their eyes to see a pair of crystal blue ones looking down at them. A dark blush spread across their cheeks, and suddenly, they were wrenching themselves apart, water being poured into two separate bodies. The fusion was gone, leaving Sokka and a very flushed Zuko in their place. 

"Oh, hey Katara," Sokka replied nonchalantly with a wave. Zuko, on the other hand, was a terrified and flushing mess. 

All he could think about was Azula's incident. The fear of being reprimanded filled his lungs, clogging it to the point where he couldn't breathe. 

Zuko was hellbent on waiting for the waterbender's reaction. What if she was absolutely revolted at the fact that they had fused? 

Katara had found out. What if someone else were to find out?  _ What if father found out? _

Unexpectedly, Katara merely grinned at the two. "It's nice to see you two getting along. Maybe I'll meet this friend of yours soon, hmm?" She shot them a knowing wink before beginning to walk away. "Oh! And Sokka! Aang was looking for you, by the way!"

The female left without another word. Zuko's lungs finally refilled with air. Sokka looked over at the boy, intertwining their hands. 

"You good?" 

Zuko exhaled shakily, a smile spreading across his lips. "Y-Yeah… I'm good."

Funny enough, he didn't feel all too stressed anymore. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this work! since you all liked my last one, I decided to turn it into a series. the events taking place will most-likely be non-linear. you are welcome to write fics for this universe as well!


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